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COMMUNITY NEWS
CSD addresses development critics and dispute over bridge
legal bills
Published
Sunday, January 21, 2007
At
its January meeting, the Community Services District
board of directors reacted to development opponents' comments
about lake levels, issued a challenge to the Country
Club and the Rancho Murieta Association about legal fees
for the pedestrian bridge, and began a discussion about "purple
pipe" applications for recycled wastewater that
will be continued at its goal session Jan. 23.
Since
lake levels emerged as an issue in the debate about development,
photos of Lake Calero at its fullest in the spring and
its low point in the fall and dramatic statements about
drawdown have become part of public proceedings.
"It's
absolutely incorrect" to describe Lake Calero as
a mud-hole, said Director Dick Taylor at Wednesday's
CSD board meeting. "I'm concerned about the
information being distributed because it's being
believed."
General Manager Ed Crouse added that Calero is not drawn
down to a depth of three feet, as a speaker said at the
Jan. 10 Sacramento County Board of Supervisors meeting
on development proposed for Murieta North.
Resident
Don Sams, who referred to Lake Calero as "a
brown hole" at the supervisors meeting, said he wanted
to know what the lake level was on Oct. 31, the day before
the district can begin diverting water from the Cosumnes
River to refill it.
CSD President Wayne Kuntz directed Crouse
to provide that figure as well as other data about water
operations for the February board meeting.
Calero,
the reservoir that supplies the community's
present water needs, is drawn down a maximum of 14.8 feet
by October or November in normal years, according to information
in the CSD Integrated Water Master Plan. The plan estimates
Calero's maximum depth as 50 feet and says the lake reaches
its "dead storage" level at a drawdown of
31 feet.
Under
the water rights permit that was recently extended to
2020, the district can divert water from the Cosumnes
River between Nov. 1 and May 31 during periods of high
flow. Water is stored in the community's three man-made
drinking-water lakes – Calero, Chesbro
and Clementia.
The
January board packet reports 60 million gallons of water
had been pumped from the river at the Granlees Dam diversion
as of Dec. 28 using one pump. "Typically,
we pump about 2,000 acre-feet to the reservoirs," Crouse
wrote in the report.
The
district bases the start of pumping on the flow rate
and the quality of the water flowing in the river. River
flows weren't at the mandated level on Nov. 1. After
the river reached a level that allowed diversions to begin,
the district waited for the cleaner snow-melt flows instead
of using storm flows to reduce treatment demands on the
water plant.
At the present time, Chesbro is kept filled
by Calero year-round and has no drawdown, and Clementia
loses about five feet each year due to naturally occurring
evaporation and seepage. Clementia will only be used as
a drinking water lake during times of drought.
The Integrated
Water Master Plan examines current water use in the community
and evaluates water needs for low-, medium- and high-density
build-out scenarios in normal years and for the one-in-200-year
drought event. The plan can be seen here.
Pedestrian bridge legal fees
The CSD board voted to forego
reimbursement from the Parks Committee for attorney fees
related to the pedestrian bridge so long as the Country
Club and the Rancho Murieta Association agree to do the
same. Each organization paid about $40,000 in legal costs
to secure the easements that allowed the project to proceed
last year.
The
RMA also had about $48,000 in legal costs for its failed
attempt to obtain the easements in 2005, bringing its
legal fees to $88,351. The RMA is the only organization
that has been reimbursed for legal fees, although it's
not certain how much.
Director Dick Taylor, the CSD representative
on the Parks Committee, confronted
RMA officials about
the legal fees at the November Parks Committee meeting
during a discussion of cost overruns for the bridge. The
committee reaffirmed an earlier decision to meet the shortfall
with parks funds.
The final cost of the bridge is expected
to be about $2 million. There is $1.6 million in funding
currently available from the South developer and up to
$178,500 will become available over time as per-lot fees
for new development on the North are paid.
On
Wednesday, Taylor said, "Any money paid to us
or RMA or the Country Club serves no purpose other than
to take money from the parks fund. … If the others
are going to be reimbursed, we'll have to be as dirty
as they are."
The
CSD board split 3-2 on the issue, with Directors Bill
White and Bobbi Belton voting against the measure. After
confirming that the RMA had already received reimbursement,
White said he was uncomfortable "using
leverage against another organization." Belton said
she agreed with White: "I don't want to see
us as an elected board put that monkey on their back."
President
Wayne Kuntz and Director Bob Kjome voted with Taylor.
There is now about $500,000 in the parks fund, which depends
on developer contributions and smaller, matching contributions
paid by the RMA through members' dues. Contributions
are based on a per-lot fee for new development.
Using recycled wastewater for landscaping
The
CSD has reduced wastewater carryover storage, but "it's
not going as fast as we like," Crouse said. "We're
still stressed. There's no doubt about it."
The
CSD is using an evaporation system to dispose of wastewater
stored at the wastewater treatment plant since 2003 when
deliveries of recycled water to the Country Club were delayed
until a new treatment requirement for the water was met.
Changes in the club's operations in the last few years
have contributed to the storage problem by reducing the
amount of water needed to irrigate the golf courses. According
to the CSD, last year the club used 385 acre-feet instead
of the historic usage figure of 610 acre-feet.
At
the CSD's request,
the club has identified areas that can be irrigated without
affecting play and plans to increase its water use this
year.
Requiring
developers to install "purple pipe" for
landscaping watering in new subdivisions has been suggested
as a long-term solution for using surplus recycled water.
It's also viewed as a way to conserve potable water,
since more than half the community's potable water
now goes to irrigate lawns and landscaping.
However,
there is a catch. The highly treated, disinfected water
meets standards set by the state Department of Health Services,
and the state Water Code defines it as "a
valuable resource." But it's still wastewater
under the "one-molecule rule." Run-off
is subject to regulation that "renders the use of
recycled water undesirable" because of cost and liability
issues, according to an influential memo by Celeste Cantu,
executive director of the State Water Resources Control
Board.
At
Wednesday's meeting, Crouse said there is
a "huge
cost" involved to install the separate system of "purple
pipe" required for recycled water and the district
would have to be sure the duplicate system would be used
before requiring developers to install it.
President
Wayne Kuntz said additional workers -- "a
complete crew" -- are needed to check and maintain
the recycled water system used for landscaping at Serrano.
Ultimately,
the administration and oversight that's
required would affect the district's rate structure,
Crouse said.
The
pros and cons of using recycled water will be discussed
further at the board's annual
goal session, scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 23, at 8:30
a.m. at the CSD Building.
Notice of violation update
The district met the Jan. 15
deadline for responding to the Dec. 9 notice of violation
from the regional water board by delivering a four-page
letter from the general manager and a packet of reporting
data to the regulatory agency.
The notice of violation
charges that the CSD failed to keep wastewater treatment
plant ponds lowered to the required level, exceeded the
limit specified in the cease and desist order for wastewater
inflow to the treatment plant, and discharged wastewater
to surface waters in April 2006. The notice also flagged
inconsistencies in monitoring and reporting. The Country
Club received a notice of violation for reporting deficiencies
at the same time the district was cited.
The
pond level issue and the discharge of treated wastewater
occurred during last year's wet spring.
At
that time, the CSD notified the regional board of its
intention to release the treated wastewater to Bass Lake
and requested permission for the discharges. The notice
of violation states, "RMCSD was informed that
staff could not authorize such a discharge because it
would be a violation of the (Wastewater Discharge Requirements)
and (the cease and desist order)."
"Last spring
was very wet, and it stressed a lot of plants," said
CSD General Manager Ed Crouse at the December CSD board meeting. President
Wayne Kuntz noted some plants were issued emergency permits for their discharges,
although the CSD was not.
According
to the CSD's response to the notice
of violation, the amount of tertiary-treated, disinfected
wastewater that was released to Bass Lake was less than
originally reported. The corrected information and other
revised reports are part of the district's response
to the notice of violation. The response includes spreadsheets
that show how the CSD and the Country Club propose to update
and submit future reports to comply with their reporting
and monitoring requirements.
The
corrective actions the district proposes for the releases
and the freeboard violations are measures that are currently
being used to reduce wastewater storage levels at the
reclamation plant.
The
response attributes the excess volume of wastewater the
plant received between July 1, 2005, and June 30, 2006,
to water infiltration resulting from "heavy storms
during the wet winter and spring."
The cease and
desist order set a limit of 198 million gallons. The actual
inflow was 199.2 million gallons.
According to the
letter of response, the district sealed 15 manholes last
year that were allowing water to enter the sewer system,
and proposes changes to 101 manholes in Murieta North to
address groundwater infiltration. The district expects
to require sealed manhole covers in new construction.
"For
the year ending 2006, the Rancho Murieta Community Services
District has spent approximately $480,000 trying to remedy
the excess water in their wastewater reclamation facility," CSD
General Manager Ed Crouse wrote in the four-page letter. "Throughout
2007, we will continue system modifications to reduce (water
infiltration of the sewer system) and maintain freeboard."
The
notice of violation carries the threat of fines totaling
thousands of dollars.
Funds
OK'd for reclamation plant repairs
The
board authorized the expenditure of $31,073 for reclamation
plant repairs. The cost includes a 15 percent contingency. Funding
comes from the $2.8 million sewer replacement reserves.
The work was characterized as preventive maintenance, much
of it electrical. The work is needed to prepare the plant
to supply recycled water to the Country Club starting in
April. The water is used to irrigate the two golf courses.
Recruiter
hired to fill open management position
After
discussion, the board approved hiring recruitment firm
Ralph Andersen & Associates
to find a replacement for Director of Field Operations
Joe Majarucon who left for another position earlier this
month. Majarucon had been with the district since May
2004.
In line with the board's wishes, General Manager
Ed Crouse said he would ask for a breakdown of the costs
included in the proposal, which total $19,800 -- $15,000
for professional services and $4,800 for expenses.
The process of filling the position is expected to take
60 to 90 days. The district has worked with the firm for
other hires.
Board endorses Kuntz for LAFCO seat
The board voted for CSD President Wayne Kuntz, one
of three special district candidates vying for a seat
on the Sacramento Local Agency Formation Commission.
Kuntz is already a member of the LAFCO Advisory Board.
Past president still sparks controversy
Even though John Merchant left the CSD board in December,
the former CSD president can still generate controversy.
At
Wednesday's meeting, resident
Don Sams reacted to the 45-minute presentation Merchant
made in December, challenging his views and the advice
Merchant gave the newly installed board. See Merchant's
comments here.
Sams
disagreed with Merchant's
view that CSD meetings should continue to be un-televised
and expressed support for Director Bobbi Belton's
advocacy for televising them. "There's a lot
of what you do in here the community ought to be paying
attention to," Sams
said.
"The sad fact is there are things that need
to be done in the community to accommodate growth that's
already occurred, I think, and that was avoidable."
According to Sams, the district should have seen the cease
and desist order coming, and he expressed doubt about the
financial impact on the district of some of the factors
Merchant cited in his presentation.
Sams
said development opponents who participated in the county
talks on development did know what they wanted to accomplish,
contrary to Merchant's
perception of them.
Sams
described the MBA as "a blueprint
for the destruction of a quality of life" and disputed
Merchant's
assertion that the board needed to find a leader. "You
are the leadership," he told the five directors.
Merchant
offered opinions on development issues, the financial challenges
facing the CSD, and the board's accomplishments
during his four-year term. He also drew on his six years
as a member of the Rancho Murieta Association board where
he served as treasurer and as president.
